18 Francs, 40 Centimes, 4 Ounces French siege coinage - Small stamps

Zara — the Dalmatian coastal city now called Zadar — was besieged by Anglo-Austro-Montenegrin forces from late 1813 as Napoleon's Adriatic holdings collapsed. The French garrison, cut off from resupply, produced emergency coinage from melted silverware and plate confiscated from local households and churches. The odd denomination — 18 francs 40 centimes — was not arbitrary: it was calculated to equal precisely 4 ounces of silver at the official French monetary rate, allowing the garrison to issue pieces by weight rather than by die-struck flan.

The "small stamps" designation distinguishes this variety from the large-punch issues in the same series. Zara surrendered in December 1813.